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[Herpetology • 2015] Phrynocephalus lutensis • A New Iranian Phrynocephalus (Squamata: Agamidae) from the Hottest Place on Earth and A Key to the Genus Phrynocephalus in southwestern Asia and Arabia

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Phrynocephalus lutensis Kamali & Anderson, 2015

FIGURE 3. Body of Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov.
a. Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov. ♂ holotype; b. Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov. ♂ holotype. Ventral view; c. Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov. ♀ paratype. Dorsal view; e. Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov. ♂ holotype. Dorsal trunk scales, anterior to the right; f. Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov. ♂ holotype. Dorsal view of hind limb and proximal tail. g. Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov. ♀ holotype. Ventral view of right hind foot and toes.
All photos by K. Kamali.  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3904.2.4

Abstract

A new species of agamid lizard, Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov., is described from the Lut Desert in Iran. It is a species adapted to wind-blown sand in this semi-isolated basin. It appears to be most closely similar to P. luteoguttatus and P. euptilopus on the basis of external morphology. A key to the 19 known Phrynocephalus species of southwestern Asia and Arabia is presented for the first time.

Keywords: Dasht-e Lut, Lut Desert, Kerman Province, checklist



Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov. 
Lut Desert Toad Headed Agama

FIGURE 2. Habitat (type locality) of Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov.. Dasht-e Lut (Lut Desert), Kerman Province, Iran.
Photo M. Ghazvinian.

Habitat (Fig. 2). The substratum on and in which the species is found is wind-blown sand, to which the morphology, and especially the fringed digits and nostril valves, are well adapted. The immediate habitat lies at the south-easternmost edge of the Dasht-e Lut, a semi-enclosed basin, surrounded by mountains, similar to such basins throughout southern Central Asia. The area in which this species lives is called Rig-e Yalan (Mega Dune). The elevation of the area from which the specimens were taken was about 700–1000 meters above sea level with high elevated dunes with height of about 400 meters in some parts. Within the Dasht-e Lut, wherein Mega Dune lies, is the hottest point in the world. The surface temperature in warm seasons goes up to 70.7°C (as recorded by NASA) and in cold seasons and at night it decreases to -10°C (reported by collector). At the time that specimens were taken the lowest and highest daily air temperatures were 15° and 30°C, respectively.
Thus far, nothing is known of the species’ behavior or ecology.


Discussion: Based on Arnold’s (1999) analysis of external morphology and his phylogenetic tree, Phrynocephalus lutensis sp. nov. would form a clade with P. euptilopus Alcock & Finn 1896 (Fig. 5) and to P. luteoguttatus Boulenger 1887 (Fig. 6), and these to a larger clade also including P. interscapularis and P. sogdianus. All occur in similar sandy deserts, P. interscapularis the most widely distributed, the other four narrowly distributed, P. lutensis in southeastern Iran, P. luteoguttatus and P. euptilopus in the Dasht-e Margo south of the Helmand River in southwestern Afghanistan and Pakistani Balochistan. Still lacking is a morphological and molecular analysis of the entire genus and a phylogeographical hypothesis based thereon. However, as we lack for P. lutensis sp. nov.. Arnold’s analysis of skeletal and soft anatomy, this remains only a speculation.


Kamali, Kamran & Steven C. Anderson. 2015. A New Iranian Phrynocephalus (Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae) from the Hottest Place on Earth and A Key to the Genus Phrynocephalus in southwestern Asia and Arabia. Zootaxa. 3904(2): 249–260.  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3904.2.4
ResearchGate.net/publication/272099589_A_New_Iranian_Phrynocephalus_Reptilia_Squamata_Agamidae_from_the_hottest_place_on_earth_and_a_key_to_the_genus_Phrynocephalus_in_southwestern_Asia_and_Arabia


Phrynocephalus ahvazicus MELNIKOV, MELNIKOVA, NAZAROV, RAJABIZADEH, AL-JOHANY, AMR & ANANJEVA, 2014
Phrynocephalus ananjevae MELNIKOV, MELNIKOVA, NAZAROV & RAJABIZADEH, 2013


[Herpetology • 2015] Phrynocephalus sakoi • A New Species of Phrynocephalus (Agamidae, Sauria) from Al Sharqiyah Sands, Northeastern Oman, Dedicated to the Memory of Sako Tuniyev (1983 – 2015)

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Phrynocephalus sakoi 
 Melnikov, Melnikova, Nazarov, Al-Johany & Ananjeva, 2015

Phrynocephalus
sp. nov.
in the vicinity of Filim, Al Sharqiyah Sands, northeastern Oman.
Photo by Daniel Melnikov.

Abstract

A revision of taxonomic structure of Phrynocephalus arabicus Anderson, 1894 complex was presented in our previous paper. However further investigations showed that specimens from southern Arabia do not refer to one species. A new species from Al Sharqiyah Sands, northeastern Oman is described. It differs morphologically from all other representatives of Ph. arabicus complex by body and tail proportions, dorsal coloration, undertail coloration and genetic characters. Phrynocephalus arabicus sensu stricto is distributed in Yemen, southwestern Oman, UAE, and southern Saudi Arabia. Phrynocephalus nejdensis Haas, 1957 is valid species, based on the morphological and genetic difference. Taxonomic status of Phrynocephalus macropeltis Haas, 1957 needs further confirmation with material from the type locality.

Keywords: Squamata; Acrodonta; Agamidae; Phrynocephalus sp. nov.; Al Sharqiyah Sands, northeastern Oman


Phrynocephalus sakoi sp. nov. 

Holotype: ZISP 28705, adult male (Fig. 4).
Paratypes: ZISP 28706 – 28710, ZISP 27089, CAS251008, 251022, 251023 (Fig. 5, Table 3).

Type locality. Al Sharqiyah Sands, Filim vicinity, northeastern Oman.

Diagnosis. A large and “heavy” Phrynocephalus species  with  tail  longer  than  body  in  both  sexes;  five-star shape bright orange pattern on head in females and black in males, two bright orange stripes on the neck in female sand black in males, two longitudinal rows of six bright orange (salmon) patches on the dorsum in females and black in males; with white under tail coloration without bands in both sexes with black distal third in males and black quarter in females  (two  bands)  and  no  bands  in white proximal part.

Etymology. Species dedicated to the memory of our close friend and colleague Sako Tuniyev, who tragically passed away on January 5, 2015. His death was shockand big tragedy for all who know him. The new species dedicated to the memory of young zoologist in the beginning of his carrier, with many fresh ideas and new collaborative projects, to a good son of distinguished father, to a father of two kids and a good husband, to our brother and colleague. We will always keep him in our hearts

Distribution. Species expected to be isolated in Al Sharqiyah Sands, northeastern Oman.


Fig. 7. Variation of dorsal coloration in living Phrynocephalus sakoi sp. nov. males in situ:
a,b, hard substrate (gravel) form;c,d, fine sand form.

DISCUSSION: Additional studies of Ph. arabicus sensu lato from southern Arabia showed that it is polytypical complex. Ph. sakoi sp. nov. from Al Sharqiyah Sands is characterized by morphological and genetic differences. This isolated desert consists of many large North-South linear dunes that are separated from each other by 2–3 km intervals (Radies et al., 2004; Edgell, 2006). A new species of endemic gecko Stenodactylus sharqiyahensiswas also described from the Al Sharqiyah Sands (Metallinou and Carranza, 2013). Arabia is characterized by high speciesdiversity of lizards, as indicated by descriptions of manynew species in the last years (Carranza and Arnold, 2012; Melnikov and Pierson 2012; Melnikov et al., 2012a,2013a, 2013b, 2014; Nazarov et al., 2013). Some areas like Al Sharqiyah Sands are characterized by high level of endemism and needs special study. 

According to the molecular phylogenetic analyses and morphological results Ph. arabicus complex represent at least four well distinguished taxa. They are: Ph. arabicus sensu stricto from the southern Arabia (Yemen, southwestern Oman, southern Saudi Arabia, UAE), Ph. nejdensis from the northwestern Arabia (southern Jordan, northern and central Saudi Arabia), Ph. ahvazicus from the northwestern Iran, and Ph. sakoi sp. nov. represented by an isolated population in the Al Sharqiyah Sands, northeastern Oman. This four species are divided into two groups: southwestern Arabian Ph. arabicus + northeastern Arabian Ph. ahvazicus and northwestern Arabian Ph. nejdensis + southeastern Ph. sakoi sp. nov. Taxonomic status of Ph. macropeltis from the eastern coastal Arabia (eastern Saudi Arabia) needs further confirmation with material from the type locality (work in progress).

Daniel Melnikov, Ekaterina Melnikova, Roman Nazarov, Awadh Al-Johany and Natalia Ananjeva. 2015. A New Species of Phrynocephalus (Agamidae, Sauria) from Al Sharqiyah Sands, Northeastern Oman, Dedicated to the Memory of Sako Tuniyev (1983 – 2015). Russian Journal of Herpetology. 22(4): 301–309.
 
http://rjh.folium.ru/index.php/rjh/article/view/1030

[Arachnology • 2015] Sicariomorpha, A New Myrmecophilous Goblin Spider Genus (Araneae, Oonopidae) Associated with Asian Army Ants

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FIGURES 1.Sicariomorpha maschwitzi, comb. nov., participates in ant emigrations by performing a “tandem-running”-like behavior.

Abstract
A new genus of oonopid spider, Sicariomorpha Ott and Harvey, is named for the type and only known species, Gamasomorpha maschwitzi Wunderlich from Malaysia. The most striking feature of the spider is the eyes, which are arranged in two widely separated triads. Besides taxonomic description, we summarize the biology of Sicarimorpha maschwitzi, which is a kleptoparasite of the Southeast Asian army ant Leptogenys distinguenda (Emery) and one among only few well-studied myrmecophilous spiders. Its morphology, behavior and life history seem to be well adapted for the life with its predatory army ant host.

SYSTEMATICS

Family Oonopidae Simon, 1890
Subfamily Oonopinae Simon, 1890

Sicariomorpha Ott and Harvey, new genus

Type Species:Gamasomorpha maschwitzi Wunderlich, 1995.

Etymology: The generic name is a contraction of the spider generic names Sicarius and Gamasomorpha and refers to the unusual carapace shape and eye arrangement, which is remi-niscent of the genus Sicarius. The gender is feminine.

Sicariomorpha maschwitzi (Wunderlich), comb. nov.


Ricardo Ott, Christoph Von Beeren, Rosli Hashim, Volker Witte and Mark S. Harvey. 2015. Sicariomorpha, A New Myrmecophilous Goblin Spider Genus (Araneae, Oonopidae) Associated with Asian Army Ants.  American Museum Novitates. 3843: 1-14. doi: 10.1206/3843.1 

[Herpetology • 2013] Myersiohyla chamaeleo & M. neblinaria • Two New Species of Myersiohyla (Anura: Hylidae) from Cerro de la Neblina, Venezuela, with comments on other species of the genus

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Myersiohyla chamaeleo M. neblinaria 
Faivovich, McDiarmid & Myers, 2013

ABSTRACT
Two new species of Myersiohyla are described from the 1984–1985 Cerro de la Neblina Expedition in southern Venezuela, together with notes on the genus and a test of its monophyly, which has been challenged in recent studies. The inclusion of new sequences results in a monophyletic Myersiohyla that is better supported than in earlier analyses. One of the new species is similar to M. inparquesi, with which it has been confused previously. This newly described species has, like M. inparquesi, a tadpole with a dorsoventrally flattened body and the largest labial toothrow formula so far reported for anuran larvae (16/21). It differs from M. inparquesi in larval characters, adult coloration, and vocalization. The other new species is unique in having a color pattern composed of stellate melanophores over a greenish ground color. Comments on the holotype of M. loveridgei provide details overlooked in previous references to this rare species and stress the need to establish diagnostic characters that might differentiate it from M. aromatica. Furthermore, we report one specimen not assigned to any species from Huachamacary Tepui, only 25 km from the type locality of M. loveridgei. So far, all studied species of Myersiohyla have relatively large (2.8–3.2 mm), yolky ovarian eggs, a character state shared with several other frogs in Cophomantini (Hyloscirtus, Aplastodiscus, the Hypsiboas benitezi species group), and likely a plesiomorphic character state for the tribe. We report and illustrate the occurrence of a mental gland in some species of Myersiohyla and present a short discussion on odorous volatile secretions reported in some species of this genus.

The following species are described or discussed herein: Myersiohyla chamaeleo new species, p. 8, M. neblinaria new species, p. 25, M. loveridgei (Rivero), p. 38, Myersiohyla species inquirenda, p. 40, and M. kanaima (Goin and Woodley), p. 42. Following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the nominal type species of Myersiohyla is changed from Hyla inparquesi to Myersiohyla neblinaria (p. 42).




Julián Faivovich, Roy W. McDiarmid and Charles W. Myers. 2013. Two New Species of Myersiohyla (Anura: Hylidae) from Cerro de la Neblina, Venezuela, with comments on other species of the genus. American Museum Novitates. 3792: 1-63.  DOI: 10.1206/3792.1


César L. Barrio-Amorós; Josefa Celsa Señaris; Ross D. Macculloch; Amy Lathrop; Juan M. Guayasamin and William E. Duellman. 2011. Distribution, Vocalization and Taxonomic Status of Hypsiboas roraima and H. angelicus (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae). Pap. Avulsos Zool. (São Paulo). 51(2). DOI: 10.1590/S0031-10492011000200001

[Mammalogy • 2015] Aselliscus dongbacana • A New Species of the Genus Aselliscus (Chiroptera, Hipposideridae) from the Northeastern Vietnam

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Aselliscus stoliczkanus (Dobson, 1871) & Aselliscus dongbacana 
Tu,  Csorba, Görföl, Arai, Son, Thanh & Hassanin, 2015

FIG. 5. Portraits and skull photographs of Aselliscus stoliczkanus s.l.
 
— A. stoliczkanus (IEBR-T5024, ♂) and — A. dongbacana sp.n. (holotype IEBR-VN11-0143, ♂)

ABSTRACT

Trident bats found in mainland Southeast Asia are currently subsumed into a single species, Aselliscus stoliczkanus. In this study, we examined morphological and genetic data from different populations from Southeast Asia, with a special focus on specimens from Vietnam. Our analyses support the existence of a further species of Aselliscus in northeastern Vietnam that separated from A. stoliczkanus sensu lato (s.l.) during the late Miocene. Within the latter taxon, we identified five geographic lineages that diverged from each other during the Plio-Pleistocene epoch. Some of them may also correspond to further separate taxa, but additional molecular and morphological data are needed to test this hypothesis. Here with, based on the combined evidences we describe the northeastern Vietnamese population as a separate species.

FIG. 5. Portraits and skull photographs of Aselliscus stoliczkanus s.l.
A A. stoliczkanus (IEBR-T5024, ♂) and B A. dongbacana sp.n. (holotype IEBR-VN11-0143, ♂) 

SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION

Aselliscus dongbacana sp. n. (Fig. 5B)

Holotype: IEBR-VN11-0143 (Field no.: Tu.230511.1, tis-sue code: VN11-0143), adult ♂, body in alcohol,skull and baculum removed, collected by V. T. Tu on23 May 2011. Mass: 4.5 g.
  Measurements (in mm) are as follows: FA: 43.8; Head and body length:40.5; Tail: 39.5; Ear length: 12.2; Tibia: 19.7; 3rdmt:32.5; 3rd1: 15.7; 4thmt: 31.5; 4th1: 13.2, cartilage: bi-furcate; and 5thmt: 27.9, 5th1: 13.1, cartilage: bifur-cate. GLS: 14.94; CCL: 13.01; C1C1: 3.57; M3M3:5.55; ZB: 7.61; MB: 7.29; BW: 6.05; CM3: 5.28;ML: 9.42; CM3: 5.66; UCL: 1.51; and LCL: 2.01.The sequence of COI has been deposited in theEMBL/GenBank/DDBJ nucleotide databases withaccession no. KU161543.

Type locality: Na Phong cave, Ba Be National Park, Bac Kan province, Vietnam (22°23’N, 105°36’E; entrance altitude: 280 m a.s.l.)

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the restricted distribution range of the new species, called ‘Đông Bắc’in Vietnamese. Its proposed English name is ‘Dong Bac’s Trident Bat’ and Vietnamese name is ‘Dơi mũiba lá Đông Bắc’.

Distribution: The species is currently known only from karst areas in Northeastern Vietnam (Fig. 1).



Ecology and habitat: Like other Aselliscus species, A. dongbacana sp.n. is also associated with karst areas, and use caves as roosts both in heavily degraded and intact lime-stone habitats. So far, nothing is known on the diet of A. dongbacana sp. n., but they might forage onsmall nocturnal insects in dense environments like A. stoliczkanus sensu stricto (s.s.) does (Li et al.,2007). However, the differences in skull size and especially in canine length suggest that their food sources may be different. Further studies on the diet of the two taxa is essential for a better understanding of whether food sources are important factors in their diversification. During our surveys, severa lpregnant females of A. dongbacana sp. n. were captured in May, while lactating females were found inJune. These observations confirm that March–July is the primary reproductive period for the new species and also for other insectivorous bats in North Vietnam (Furey et al., 2011).

Conservation status: To date, A. stoliczkanus s.l. has been classified as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List (Bates et al.,2008). However, A. dongbacana sp. n. is endemic to northeast Vietnam and little is known about the current population trends of the species. Unfortunately,like many other regional plants and animals, A. dongbacana sp. n. might be at risk due to various types of roost and habitat destruction, i.e. mining,timber harvesting or cave tourism (Day and Urich,2000; Clements et al., 2006; Furey et al., 2010). Further studies are needed to assess the impacts of habitat changes on A. dongbacana sp. n. to identifyhigh priority conservation areas to protect the species (Hutson et al., 2001; Furey et al., 2010; Kingston, 2010).


The speciation of Aselliscusin mainland Southeast Asia: when and how?
Our molecular dating based on Cytb sequences indicates that the separation between A. dongbacana sp. n. and A. stoliczkanus s.s. took place during thelate Miocene (ca. 7.2 Mya), much earlier than the diversification among subclades of A. stoliczkanus s.s. around the Plio-Pleistocene boundary (ca. 2.8–2.4 Mya — Fig. 2 and Appendix IV). The period of interspecific divergence seems therefore to coincide with the hypothetic climatic and associated vegetation changes in the region during the late Miocene. Indeed, at the beginning of the late Miocene (ca. 10–8 Mya or more recently), the extent and uplift of the Himalayan mountains and the Tibetan Plateau, linked to the development of the Northern Hemispheric ice sheets played an important role in driving the Asian aridification (An, 2000; An et al.,2001; Zhang Y. G. et al., 2009). As a consequence,the cool, dry climate caused the vegetation to change from mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests to grasslands in Asia, and rainforests of the region were thought to be compressed into different refugia (Morley, 2000; An et al., 2001). At the end of the late Miocene and until the early Pliocene epochs, Southeast Asia was a single block of rainforest, as a consequence of the warm and humid climatic conditions. However, the uplift of Himalaya-Tibetan plateau about 3.6–2.6 Mya and the onset of extensive glaciations on the Northern Hemisphere during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs, led to the development of more open vegetation types and the contraction of the rainforest into several isolated refugia (Morley, 2000; An et al., 2001; Meijaard and Groves, 2006). With this in mind, the current distribution of Aselliscus spp. in Mainland Southeast Asia (Fig. 1) suggests that their separation probably occurred in different glacial refugia across the region during two major phases of aridification in Asia since the late Miocene. Aselliscus bats are very small (body mass ca. 5 g), fly at low speeds and are usually associated with karst areas and for-age in cluttered habitats (Li et al., 2007; Francis,2008). These morphological and ecological features indicate that they might have poor dispersal capacities and high natal philopatry that could prevent gene flow among different isolated populations and facilitate speciation events. Despite their long separation, these taxa were found to have similar morphology and echolocation call features; whereas previous studies indicated that different species of hipposiderid bats are usually recognizable by their call features (i.e., Kingston et al., 2001; Thong et al.,2012). However, given that Aselliscus spp. are associated with karst areas, we hypothesize that their ecological evolution might be under stabilizing selection imposed by the special environmental conditions of karst habitats (i.e., forests and caves) (Bickford et al., 2007) and consequently reduces morphological and acoustic variation between different taxa.


Vuong Tan Tu,  Gábor Csorba, Tamás Görföl, Satoru Arai, Nguyen Truong Son, Hoang Trung Thanh and Alexandre Hassanin. 2015. Description of A New Species of the Genus Aselliscus (Chiroptera, Hipposideridae) from Vietnam. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA.17(2): 233-254.  DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2015.17.2.002


[Paleontology • 2015] Makhaira rossica • Peculiar Macrophagous Adaptations in A New Cretaceous Pliosaurid

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Makhaira rossica
Fischer, Arkhangelsky, Stenshin, Uspensky, Zverkov & Benson, 2015

Abstract

During the Middle and Late Jurassic, pliosaurid plesiosaurs evolved gigantic body size and a series of craniodental adaptations that have been linked to the occupation of an apex predator niche. Cretaceous pliosaurids (i.e. Brachaucheninae) depart from this morphology, being slightly smaller and lacking the macrophagous adaptations seen in earlier forms. However, the fossil record of Early Cretaceous pliosaurids is poor, concealing the evolution and ecological diversity of the group. Here, we report a new pliosaurid from the Late Hauterivian (Early Cretaceous) of Russia. Phylogenetic analyses using reduced consensus methods recover it as the basalmost brachauchenine. This pliosaurid is smaller than other derived pliosaurids, has tooth alveoli clustered in pairs and possesses trihedral teeth with complex serrated carinae. Maximum-likelihood ancestral state reconstruction suggests early brachauchenines retained trihedral teeth from their ancestors, but modified this feature in a unique way, convergent with macrophagous archosaurs or sphenacodontoids. Our findings indicate that Early Cretaceous marine reptile teeth with serrated carinae cannot be unequivocally assigned to metriorhynchoid crocodylomorphs. Furthermore, they extend the known diversity of dental adaptations seen in Sauropterygia, the longest lived clade of marine tetrapods.


Systematic description

Plesiosauria Blainville, 1835  
Pliosauridae Seeley, 1874 

Thalassophonea Benson & Druckenmiller, 2014 

Makhaira rossica gen. et sp. nov.

LSIDs: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2C95C409-72C0-45FE-BF58-608657D5382F (Publication);
urn:lsid:zoob- ank.org:act:F19A595F-D739-4361-9088-84B7B947DC93 (Makhaira);
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:258CFACB-27D3-44CF-8B04-A12FDDECA55C (Makhaira rossica)


Figure 2. Rostrum of YKM 68249/1-10.
(a–c) Right premaxilla, in (a) lateral, (b) medial and (c) ventral views. Numbers indicate the position of each alveolus. The ventral premaxilla–maxilla suture is located at the 6th alveolus. Note the procumbent 1st alveolus. (d–e) Anterior part of the symphysis, in (d) anterior, (e) ventral and (f) posterior views.

Figure 3. Dentition and mandible of YKM 68249/1-10.
 (a) Mandible in dorsal view. (b) Replacement tooth in the 2nd alveolus, showing the trihedral cross section. (c) Base of the 3rd alveolus crown, showing the marked mesiolabial carina (the crown fragment has been glued slightly off its original position). (d) 1st or 2nd post-symphysis replacement tooth, showing distal ridges and serrated carinae. (e,f) Successive zooms of the mesiolabial carinae of a broken off crown lying on the ventral surface of the symphysis (figure 2). (h) Schematic diagram of the carination, drawn from (f). Note the serrated crenulations.

Holotype, Horizon and Locality: YKM 68249/1-10, a slightly immature fragmentary skeleton consisting of a partial right premaxilla, the anterior part of the mandible, several teeth, three dorsal vertebrae in anatomical connection, a partial left ischium and a partial right ilium. It is preserved in three dimensions in a series of pyritic limestone nodules found along the banks of the Volga River, 600 m to the north of Slantsevy Rudnik, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russian Federation (figure 1). The precise level within the section is unknown, but the section only contains Upper Hauterivian (Lower Cretaceous) strata of the Speetoniceras versicolor Zone in this locality.

Etymology: From Latinized Ancient Greek ‘μάχαɩρα’ (mákhaira): a blade with a curved outline and Latin ‘rossica’: Russian.

Figure 4. Postcranial remains of YKM 68249/1-10.
(a–f) Dorsal centrum, in (a) anterior, (b) right lateral, (c) posterior, (d) left lateral, (e) ventral and (f) dorsal views. (g–k) Right ilium in (g) dorsal, (h) medial, (i) lateral, (j) posterior and (k) ventral views. (l–q) Left ischium in (l) anterolateral (glenoid), (m) dorsal, (n) posterolateral, (o) medial, (p) anteromedial and (q) ventral views. (r) Reconstruction of Makhaira rossica based on Late Jurassic pliosaurids and mid-Cretaceos brachauchenines; the orange coloured parts indicate fossils preserved in YKM 68249/1-10.

.............................


Discussion and Conclusion

Ecology of Early Cretaceous pliosaurids

Makhaira rossica shares morphological features with both Late Jurassic and Mid-Cretaceous pliosaurids, detailing the tempo of morphological evolution in the early history of Brachaucheninae. Osteological features often associated with macrophagy, and widely present in Middle–Late Jurassic pliosaurids such as the spatulate rostrum and the expanded caniniform teeth were seemingly lost early in the evolution of brachauchenines. However, the incompletely resolved phylogenetic position of Makhaira rossica within Brachaucheninae, and the presence of these features in some other Cretaceous pliosaurid specimens whose phylogenetic affinities were not resolved by our analysis raises a number of questions regarding the evolution and biodiversity of early members of that clade. Specifically, it seems that Early Cretaceous pliosaurids exhibit multiple ecomorphologies that are in need of further study. Because of the poor record of Early Cretaceous pliosaurids, it is still unclear whether trihedral, strongly carinated teeth constitute the ancestral condition of derived thalassophoneans or were acquired convergently in Makhaira rossica, Pliosaurus and currently enigmatic taxa such as ‘Pliosaurusrossicus. Parsimony-based methods are ambiguous while likelihood methods suggest that trihedral teeth are a synapomorphy of Pliosaurus + Brachaucheninae, that was subsequently lost within Brachaucheninae. In this scenario, Makhaira rossica thus retained the ancestral state of that trait, but modified it via a unique serration pattern.

Makhaira rossica departs from both Late Jurassic and Cretaceous thalassophoneans by its smaller size: the largest dorsal centrum is 72 mm wide. Nevertheless, fusion of neurocentral suture suggests osteological maturity for this specimen. For comparison, the last cervical centrum of the late Barremian ‘Brachauchenius’ sp. is 117 mm wide, the largest dorsal centrum of Brachauchenius lucasi is 90 mm wide and the width of those of Kronosaurus queenslandicus and ‘Kronosaurusboyacensis exceed 150 mm and 170 mm, respectively. Makhaira rossica markedly differs from Cretaceous thalassophoneans by having relatively large teeth and dental adaptations reminiscent of macrophagous predators such as theropod dinosaurs or thalattosuchians crocodyliforms. Unexpectedly, because of their densely serrated and wave-like pattern, the carinae of YKM 68249/1-10 appear larger and more complex than in other macrophagous marine tetrapods such as Mosasaurus hoffmani (V. Fischer 2015, personal observation on ULg PA.25119), Dakosaurus maximus ([54]; V. Fischer 2015, personal observation on ULg PA.6600) or Geosaurus, the latter being regarded as having ‘hypercarnivorous’ adaptations. Makhaira rossica is also unique among plesiosaurs in having trihedral but moderately widely spaced teeth. Contrary to carination and serration, previous authors have not generally assigned a specific functional interpretation to the presence of wide interalveolar spacing. However, we note that the carinated teeth of macrophagous marine reptiles are usually closely spaced.

Makhaira rossica thus indicates that pliosaurids explored previously unrecognized niches during the Early Cretaceous, with the presence of a smaller bodied taxon possessing clear yet distinctive macrophagous adaptations. By being the first sauropterygian to develop complex serration of its carinae, Makhaira rossica further exemplifies the profound diet-driven morphofunctional convergences that evolved among Mesozoic marine reptiles.

Figure 5. Phylogenetic position of Makhaira rossica and ancestral state reconstructions of character 139, related to crown shape. (a) Strict consensus of the maximum-parsimony analysis of the full dataset. (b) Strict consensus of the maximum-parsimony analysis of the reduced dataset. (c) Results of maximum-parsimony method for ancestral state reconstruction (using MESQUITE). (d) Results of likelihood method for ancestral state reconstruction (using CLADDIS).


 Implications for metriorhynchid extinction

An isolated crown from the Aptian of Sicily (MSNC 4475) has been recently regarded as evidence for the late survival of geosaurine metriorhynchid crocodyliforms, several million years after their supposed extinction [61]. However, although they do not yet co-occur within a single pliosaurid taxon, all the features of MSNC 4475 described in [61] can now be shown to have been present among Cretaceous pliosaurids (‘The conical shape of the tooth crown, noticeable lingual curvature, presence of mesial and distal carinae, and microscopic denticles along the carinae’ [61], p. 610). We also note that MSNC 4475 appears weakly trihedral in apical view ([61]; figure 2f). Moreover, fine, smooth and widely spaced apicobasal ridges restricted to one surface of the tooth and the triangular or approximately triangular cross section of the crown are other features shared between MSNC 4475 and Makhaira rossica. Differences between these two specimens are also present: the apicobasal ridges are not located on the curved side in the large tooth of Makhaira rossica (but such ridges are present in one small replacement tooth (figure 3) and thus possibly variable with dental development in Makhaira rossica), and the weak development of a trihedral cross section in the Sicilian tooth. It is not currently possible to make a definitive statement on the affinities of MSNC 4475, which clearly is an important specimen and potentially illustrates the profound convergence of Makhaira rossica with macrophagous archosaurs. However, future discoveries are likely to clarify whether MSNC 4475 is a late-surviving, low-latitude metriorhynchid or a brachauchenine pliosaurid.


Valentin Fischer, Maxim S. Arkhangelsky, Ilya M. Stenshin, Gleb N. Uspensky, Nikolay G. Zverkov and Roger B. J. Benson. 2015. Peculiar Macrophagous Adaptations in A New Cretaceous Pliosaurid. Royal Society Open Science.   DOI:  10.1098/rsos.150552


[Herpetology • 2014] Here be Dragons: A Phylogenetic and Biogeographical Study of the Smaug warreni species complex (Squamata: Cordylidae) in southern Africa

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Figure 2. Distribution ranges of taxa in the Smaug warreni species complex, taken from Jacobsen (1989) and Branch (1998) (S. breyeri, blue; S. vandami, red; S. w. depressus, purple; S. w. warreni, green; northern S. w. barbertonensis clade, yellow; southern S. w. barbertonensis clade, orange). Numbers in coloured circles represent localities of the specimens used in the molecular analyses of the Smaug warreni species complex as listed in Table 1. Dashed lines represent the boundaries of key mountain chains.

Taxonomy of the Smaug warreni species complex remains contentious despite known morphological differences and geographical separation of the various taxa. This study uses an 11-gene dataset to recover phylogenetic relationships between the seven nominal members of the S. warreni complex. Eight well-supported clades were returned, with S. warreni barbertonensis found to be paraphyletic. A time-calibrated analysis of molecular data indicates that all eight clades in the S. warreni complex separated in the late Miocene, much earlier than the date suggested by the existing hypothesis of vicariance through the ingression of Kalahari sands. Ecological niche modelling indicates that although all clades are allopatric, a slight decrease in temperature could potentially render them sympatric, supporting an hypothesis of range expansion through climatic change.

Keywords: biogeography; geography; palaeoecology; southern Africa; species delimitation; taxonomic revision

Figure 1. Variation in dorsal coloration in the Smaug warreni species complex in South Africa. From left to right: S. breyeri (NMB R9150, Geelhoutkop – type locality), S. vandami (NMB R9188, 4 km north of Lammerkop), S. w. depressus (NMB R9157, 10 km north-east of Louis Trichardt, Soutpansberg), S. w. barbertonensis (NMB R9192, Barberton – type locality), S. w. warreni (NMB R9292, Mount Mananga, Lebombo Range).
Photograph by M. F. Bates.   DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12187

Figure 7. Phenotypic variation in Smaug depressus: A, S. depressus (‘laevigatus’ morph) from the type locality of Entabeni; B, S. depressus (typical spotted morph) from 10 km north-east of Louis Trichardt, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Photographs by E. L. Stanley.  DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12187

Discussion
Phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic implications
The eight major clades – representing seven currently recognized taxa and an un-named species currently assigned to S. w. barbertonensis – recovered by our analysis (Fig. 3) display high mitochondrial divergence (5.6–8.7%), possess non-identical ecological niches and exhibit diagnostic morphological characters. This confluence of diagnoses supports the working hypothesis that each represents an independently evolving metapopulation and can be treated as a valid species under the General Lineage Species Concept of de Queiroz (1998). No samples from the southern range of S. barbertonensis (see Bourquin, 2004; Bates et al., 2014) were included in this molecular analysis and further investigation is therefore required before we can establish whether S. barbertonensis from Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal forms a monophyletic group or is rendered paraphyletic by S. warreni. However, as S. warreni barbertonensis is rendered paraphyletic by S. w. warreni and the populations of S. w. barbertonensis from Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal are genetically and morphologically distinct from S. w. barbertonensis from the type locality (Barberton), these southern populations will be assigned to a new species (Bates & Stanley, in prep.). Furthermore, S. w. depressus and S. w. barbertonensis populations from Barberton northwards should be elevated to full species status to reflect the findings of this study and render S. warreni a monophyletic species. We therefore recognize the following species: Smaug warreni (Boulenger, 1908), Smaug breyeri (Van Dam, 1921), Smaug barbertonensis (Van Dam, 1921) comb. nov., Smaug depressus (FitzSimons, 1930) comb. nov., Smaug vandami (FitzSimons, 1930), Smaug mossambicus (FitzSimons, 1958) and Smaugregius (Broadley, 1962).

The three clades of S. breyeri returned by the analysis correspond to the southern (sites 1–3), western (sites 4 and 5) and north-eastern (site 6) sampling sites for this species (Fig. 2). Jacobsen (1989) recorded an isolated population of S. vandami from the Blouberg/Makgabeng mountains (vicinity of site 6, Fig. 2), and referred to specimens of both S. breyeri (museum voucher TM 58416) and S. vandami (TM 73979) from ‘farm New York’ in the eastern Waterberg mountains. He assigned species status to S. vandami on the basis of this apparent sympatry. A subadult S. breyeri (NMB R9134) collected 10 km south of Lephalale (site 1 in Fig. 2) – close to Jacobsen's record of sympatry – was similar in coloration to typical S. vandami (Fig. 1), and the Makgabeng individual (MBUR 00320) used in this study was initially identified as S. vandami by the collector based on colour pattern. The molecular analysis recovers both of the latter samples in the S. breyeri clade, and their identity was confirmed by subsequent morphological examination of voucher specimens. The two specimens (farm New York) on which Jacobsen (1989) based his comments regarding sympatry of ‘S. w. breyeri’ and S. vandami (the latter taxon elevated to a full species on the basis of his assessment) have also been examined and both are here considered referable to S. breyeri. Therefore, the above-mentioned Blouberg/Makgabeng and farm New York records, rather than representing isolated populations of S. vandami (see map in Bates et al., 2014), are associated with the known range of S. breyeri.

FitzSimons (1933) proposed that S. depressus from Entabeni (type locality) in the Soutpansberg range was a separate species, namely Zonurus laevigatus. Jacobsen (1989) suggested that this was a case of clinal phenotypic variation, with a gradual reduction in spinocity occurring from west to east. Individuals collected from the Z. laevigatus type locality of Entabeni were indeed less spinose in appearance than typical forms of S. depressus from 10 km north-east of Louis Trichardt (Fig. 7), and strongly resembled females of the two northern species S. mossambicus and S. regius. Spinose as well as relatively smooth-bodied specimens of S. depressus have also been recorded from east of Entabeni (Pienaar, Haacke & Jacobsen, 1983), but such specimens were not available for this study. A fairly deep divergence was seen within S. depressus, but both the typically spiny and smooth-scaled phenotypes were recovered on either side of the divide. Although there is genetic structure within this group, these clades do not correspond to a particular phenotype or distribution pattern. The consistency of this pattern across the separate mitochondrial and nuclear analyses suggests that this is not a result of introgression, and while it could conceivably be a result of incomplete lineage sorting, our limited sampling in this area was unable to reconcile this. Pending further work, we recommend that Z. laevigatus should remain in synonymy with S. depressus. All analyses recovered the specimen collected near the type locality of S. w. perkoensis within the S. vandami clade in the central part of the range. The three deeply divergent lineages of Smaug vandami may well represent independently evolving metapolulations (species). However, as our sampling is not comprehensive in this group, finer-scale phylogeographical analyses should be performed before any taxonomic re-assessment is attempted and Z. v. perkoensis should, for the moment, remain in the synonymy of S. vandami.


Stanley, E. L. and Bates, M. F. 2014. Here be Dragons: A Phylogenetic and Biogeographical Study of the Smaug warreni species complex (Squamata: Cordylidae) in southern Africa. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12187



Stanley, Edward L.; Aaron M. Bauer; Todd R. Jackman, William R. Branch, P. Le Fras N. Mouton 2011. Between A Rock and A Hard Polytomy: Rapid Radiation in the Rupicolous Girdled Lizard (Squamata: Cordylidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 58(1): 53-70.  DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.08.024

[PaleoOrnithology • 2016] Is the “Genyornis” Egg of A Mihirung or Another Extinct Bird from the Australian Dreamtime?

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Fig. 1. A, Comparison of SAM P.42421, the ‘Spooner Egg’, left, attributed to Genyornis newtoni, and an emu egg (Dromaius novaehollandiae) SAM B.9899. B, Comparison of femora of Genyornis newtoni SAM P13864 and a 22 cm long Dromaius novaehollandiae femur (FUR 058). C, The Spooner Egg as partly excavated revealing its intact nature; photograph by Gifford Miller, INSTAAR, Colorado. D, The Spooner Egg in situ as found by NS on 23rd July 2000, photograph by Gifford Miller using a reflex camera, and is the best image taken of the egg prior to excavation.
Scale bars in A and B = 10 cm. DOI:  10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.12.011  

Highlights
• Eggshell previously identified as from Genyornis newtoni is reassessed.
• Egg size and microstructure is not conducive with an identity as an dromornithid.
• We suggest that this eggshell is from one of the extinct megapodes in Progura.
• Previous assessments of the timing of Genyornis extinction relate to Progura species.

Abstract
The iconic Australian Genyornis newtoni (Dromornithidae, Aves) is the sole Pleistocene member of an avian clade now hypothesized to be alternatively in Anseriformes or the sister group of crown Galloanseres. A distinctive type of fossil eggshell commonly found in eroding sand dunes, has been referred to Genyornis newtoni since the 1980s. The 126 by 97 mm Spooner Egg, dated at 54.7 ± 3.1 ka by optical dating of its enclosing sediments, is a complete specimen of this eggshell type that was reconstructed from fragments of a broken egg. We show that the size of the eggs from which this ‘Genyornis’ eggshell derives, either as predicted from measurements of fragments, or as indicated by the Spooner Egg, is unexpectedly small given the size of G. newtoni, which has an estimated mass of 275 kg, or about seven times the mass of the emu that has a similar sized egg. We compared the microstructure of the putative Genyornis eggshell to that of other dromornithids and a range of galloanseriform taxa using several microcharacterisation techniques. The ‘Genyornis’ eggshell displays a mosaic of oological characters that do not unambiguously support referral to any known modern bird. Its shell structure, coupled with chemical compounds in the accessory layer, makes it unlikely to have been laid by a dromornithid, whereas several characters support a megapode origin. A potential candidate for the bird that laid the putative ‘Genyornis’ eggs in the Pleistocene fossil avifaunal record has been ignored: Progura, a genus of extinct giant megapodes, whose species were widespread in Australia. Regression of egg size of megapodes and body mass shows that the Spooner Egg approximates the expected size for eggs laid by species of Progura. We advance the suggestion that the fossil eggshell hitherto referred to Genyornis newtoni, is more likely to have been laid by species of the giant extinct Progura. As megapodes, the species of Progura were obligate ectothermic incubators, which we suggest laid their eggs into a hole dug in sand like the modern megapode Macrocephalon maleo, thus explaining the abundant ‘Genyornis’ eggshell in sand dunes. Referral of this eggshell to Progura means that the fossil record of Genyornis newtoni is limited to bones and the timing of the extinction of this last dromornithid is unknown. In addition, structural similarities of eggshell in megapodes, the putative Genyornis eggshell and dromornithids, raise the possibility that these taxa are phylogenetically more closely related to each other than any is to anseriforms. Specifically, this means that dromornithids might be a sister group to galliforms rather than to or within anseriforms.

Keywords: Eggs; Eggshells; Paleoenvironments; Genyornis newtoni; Dromornithids; Megapodes; Progura; Micro-CT; EBSD; Quaternary; Australia


Conclusions
We have described in detail the structure of putative Genyornis eggshell and raised several obstacles to the hypothesis first advanced by Williams (1981) and accepted thereafter ( Miller et al., 1999 and Miller et al., 2005), that this ootype was laid by the giant dromornithid G. newtoni. Rather, we think it more likely that it was laid by one of the several species of giant megapodes in the genus Progura that were widespread in the Pleistocene in Australia.


Gerald Grellet-Tinner, Nigel A. Spooner and Trevor H. Worthy. 2016. Is the “Genyornis” Egg of A Mihirung or Another Extinct Bird from the Australian Dreamtime? QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS. 133:147-164   DOI:  10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.12.011


[Paleontology • 2016] Morphofunctional Analysis of the Quadrate of Spinosauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) and the Presence of Spinosaurus and a Second Spinosaurine Taxon in the Cenomanian of North Africa

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two species of Spinosaurinae, and ascribed to Spinosaurus aegyptiacus and ?Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis from the Cenomanian of North Africa

Abstract

Six quadrate bones, of which two almost certainly come from the Kem Kem beds (Cenomanian, Upper Cretaceous) of south-eastern Morocco, are determined to be from juvenile and adult individuals of Spinosaurinae based on phylogenetic, geometric morphometric, and phylogenetic morphometric analyses. Their morphology indicates two morphotypes evidencing the presence of two spinosaurine taxa ascribed to Spinosaurus aegyptiacus and ?Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis in the Cenomanian of North Africa, casting doubt on the accuracy of some recent skeletal reconstructions which may be based on elements from several distinct species. Morphofunctional analysis of the mandibular articulation of the quadrate has shown that the jaw mechanics was peculiar in Spinosauridae. In mature spinosaurids, the posterior parts of the two mandibular rami displaced laterally when the jaw was depressed due to a lateromedially oriented intercondylar sulcus of the quadrate. Such lateral movement of the mandibular ramus was possible due to a movable mandibular symphysis in spinosaurids, allowing the pharynx to be widened. Similar jaw mechanics also occur in some pterosaurs and living pelecanids which are both adapted to capture and swallow large prey items. Spinosauridae, which were engaged, at least partially, in a piscivorous lifestyle, were able to consume large fish and may have occasionally fed on other prey such as pterosaurs and juvenile dinosaurs.


Systematic Paleontology

Dinosauria Owen, 1842 
Saurischia Seeley, 1887 

Theropoda Marsh, 1881 

Tetanurae Gauthier, 1986 
Megalosauroidea (Fitzinger, 1843) Walker 1964 

Spinosauridae Stromer, 1915 
Spinosaurinae (Stromer, 1915) Sereno et al., 1998 

Description: The six isolated quadrates from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco clearly belong to two morphotypes (Figs 2–4) based on the size and outline of the quadrate foramen, shape of the mandibular articulation, and outline, surface, and orientation of the quadratojugal contacts. Measurements taken on each quadrate (Fig 5A–5D) are provided in Table 1.

Spinosaurus Stromer, 1915 

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus Stromer, 1915 


?Sigilmassasaurus Russel, 1996 

?Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis Russel, 1996 

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus and ?Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis

Conclusion

The description and identification of six isolated quadrates, among which two most probably come from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco, provide additional information on the Cenomanian dinosaur fauna of North Africa. Based on cladistic, geometric morphometric, and phylogenetic morphometric analyses, two morphotypes have been successfully identified as belonging to two species of Spinosaurinae, and ascribed to Spinosaurus aegyptiacus and ?Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis. This study provides the first convincing evidence of two spinosaurine taxa in the Cenomanian of North Africa based on cranial material, casting doubt on the recent reconstruction of a quadrupedal Spinosaurus which may be based on individuals belonging to two different species of Spinosaurinae.

Ontogenetic changes occurring in the spinosaurid quadrates include the suture of the quadrate and quadratojugal, delimitation of the mandibular condyles and squamosal capitulum, and development of a ventral projection of the dorsal quadratojugal contact and a second quadrate ridge ventral to the quadrate head. Based on the quadrate proportions and estimated skull length of Baryonyx and Spinosaurus, quadrates of mature individuals from Morocco belong to animals with a skull length of no more than 120 cm. This suggests that very large forms of Spinosaurus may have been rare in the Kem Kem assemblages.

Morphofunctional analysis of the spinosaurid quadrates has revealed peculiar jaw mechanics in these specialized theropods. An helicoidal and strongly lateromedially oriented joint of the jaw articulation allowed the lateral displacement of the mandibular ramus when the lower jaw was depressed. This lateral movement of the ramus was possible due to a movable mandibular symphysis as the dentaries were joined by connective tissues, and allowed the pharynx to be widened. A similar jaw articulation was convergently present in pterosaurs and particularly pelecanids which also have a mandibular symphysis restricted to the anterior extremity of the mandible. Spinosauridae, which are considered to be semi-aquatic and partially piscivorous animals, were able to swallow large prey such as fish in the same way as pelecanids.



  


Fig 15. Jaw mechanics in the spinosaurid Spinosaurus.
AD, Mandibular articulation; and F, G, skull in A, C, F–G, lateral; and B, D, anterior views; when A–B, F, the mouth is closed; and C–D, G, fully open, illustrating the lateral movement (in red) of the mandibular ramus for a 45° rotation of the lower jaw (courtesy of Jaime A. Headden); E, skeletal reconstruction of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus by Ibrahim et al. [22]) in swimming position in lateral view with a human (1.8 m) as a scale (modified from Ibrahim et al. [22]). This model is based on spinosaurid cranial and postcranial remains (colored in red) from the Albian-Cenomanian of Northern Africa which possibly belong to two spinosaurine taxa (see also Evers et al. [27]); H, reconstruction of a semi-aquatic Spinosaurus in fishing position (i.e., jaws wide open) in anterolateral view (courtesy of Jason Poole).
Abbreviations: an, angular; ar, articular; d, dentary; ecc, ectocondyle; enc, entocondyle; j, jugal; m, maxilla; n, nasal; p, parietal; pm, premaxilla; po, postorbital; pt, pterygoid; ptf, pterygoid flange; q, quadrate; qf, quadrate foramen; qj, quadratojugal; retp, retroarticular process of the articular; sa, surangular; sq, squamosal.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144695

Christophe Hendrickx , Octávio Mateus and Eric Buffetaut. 2016. Morphofunctional Analysis of the Quadrate of Spinosauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) and the Presence of Spinosaurus and a Second Spinosaurine Taxon in the Cenomanian of North Africa.
 PLoS ONE. 11(1): e0144695.  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144695

[Paleontology | Ichnotaxa • 2016] Ostendichnus bilobatus • Theropod Courtship: Large Scale Physical Evidence of Display Arenas and Avian-like Scrape Ceremony Behaviour by Cretaceous Dinosaurs

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Figure 6: Reconstruction of theropods engaged in scrape ceremony display activity, based on trace fossil evidence from the Dakota Sandstone, Colorado.
  Artwork and graphics coordination by Xing Lida  DOI:  10.1038/srep18952

Abstract
Relationships between non-avian theropod dinosaurs and extant and fossil birds are a major focus of current paleobiological research. Despite extensive phylogenetic and morphological support, behavioural evidence is mostly ambiguous and does not usually fossilize. Thus, inferences that dinosaurs, especially theropods displayed behaviour analogous to modern birds are intriguing but speculative. Here we present extensive and geographically widespread physical evidence of substrate scraping behavior by large theropods considered as compelling evidence of “display arenas” or leks, and consistent with “nest scrape display” behaviour among many extant ground-nesting birds. Large scrapes, up to 2 m in diameter, occur abundantly at several Cretaceous sites in Colorado. They constitute a previously unknown category of large dinosaurian trace fossil, inferred to fill gaps in our understanding of early phases in the breeding cycle of theropods. The trace makers were probably lekking species that were seasonally active at large display arena sites. Such scrapes indicate stereotypical avian behaviour hitherto unknown among Cretaceous theropods, and most likely associated with terrirorial activity in the breeding season. The scrapes most probably occur near nesting colonies, as yet unknown or no longer preserved in the immediate study areas. Thus, they provide clues to paleoenvironments where such nesting sites occurred.


Systematics
Ostendichnus ichnogen nov. Fig. 3
Diagnosis: large, up to 2-meter-long, bilaterally-symmetrical, bilobed to oval impressions with multiple well-defined digital scratch marks aligned parallel or sub parallel to long axis of the whole trace. Up to 10–15% as deep as long. Traces mostly with a single raised central ridge, separating left and right troughs, which may include complete or partial diagnostic tridactyl theropod tracks.

Type material: holotype Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNH) EPV.69705 latex mold and fiberglass replica of large digging trace, within which a diagnostic theropod track occurs. Paratypes DMNH EPV. 69703, EPV. 69704, EPV. 69706 and EPV. 69707 latex molds and fiberglass replicas of large digging traces (Fig. 3 and Supplementary Information 2).

Type horizon and locality: lower part of the Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone, Roubideau Creek, Delta County, Colorado. Information on file with DMNS, CU and BLM.

Derivation of name: from ostendo (Latin) meaning “to show”, or “to display”, and ichnos (Latin) meaning “a trace.”

Ostendichnus bilobatus ichnosp nov., Fig. 3
Type material: as for ichnogenus: holotype DMNH EPV.69705 latex mold and fiberglass replica of digging trace number 5.

Type horizon and locality: as for ichnogenus.

Derivation of ichnospecies name:bilobatus meaning two lobes.

Diagnosis: as for ichnogenus.

Description: large, bilaterally-symmetrical, bilobed to oval impressions or scrapes 0.75 to 2.00 m long and 0.50 to 1.25 m wide; depth variable, 5 to 25 cm. Multiple well-defined digital scratch marks align with the whole trace, as does a raised medial ridge defining the long axis of the trace. Some scratch marks have sharp anterior terminations, indistinguishable from typical theropod digit traces. Together with sand crescents, where sediment was pushed back by posterior motion of digits, or thrown posteriorly as a thin apron, the left and right sides of scrapes are defined. In some scrapes complete or partial theropod tracks are recognisable components of the scrapes.

Figure 1: (a). Locality map, showing outcrops of Dakota Sandstone in western USA, extensively modified in Photoshop CS5 from part of a map by Carpenter (Supplementary Information S1) (b). General view of the Roubideau Creek site (photograph by senior author, M. Lockley, with coauthors KC (foreground) and JM (background) with permission. Note conspicuous scrape marks and mid-line ridge in traces 4–6, c. general view of the Club Gulch site.

Figure 2: Map of Club Gulch site (a) prepared in Photoshop CS5 by MGL, with natural color photogrammetic image (b) at same scale by RTM and LGB. Coloured image (inset in a) shows three large scrapes, together covering 5 m. Digging traces are classified as paired (bilobed) or single, with or without scratch marks and adjacent sand aprons.

Figure 5: a1-a3: maps of Cretaceous sauropod nests from Argentina with cross, section (a4),
Note the nest rim in all cases. (b) cross section of Club Gulch dig trace with thin apron of displaced sand. Note lack of sediment rim. (a,b) drawn to approximately the same scale. c: map showing distribution of Kakapo nest scrape bowls.


Interpretation of Ostednichnus bilobatus
The sharply-terminated scratch marks found in association with diagnostic theropod tracks represent active theropod scraping or scratching. The most complete theropod tracks include a large Irenesauripus-like27,28 left theropod track on the left side of the holotype scrape (Fig. 3a) and a smaller right theropod track associated with the right side of a shallow paratype scrape (Fig. 3c). The variable size and depth of the scrapes, indicate different levels of activity and persistence by different sized theropods, which based on footprint length had hip heights between ~1.0 and ~2.0 m29 and full body lengths between ~2.5 and ~5.0 m. This implies either two or more different species, or co-occurrence of conspecific adults and sub-adults of quite different sizes. Elapsed time between scraping episodes cannot be estimated accurately, but was likely short given the similar, good preservation of all scrapes.



Interpretation of nest scrape displays
Interpretation of these scrapes as evidence of mating display arenas or courtship ritual sites requires elimination of other possible digging behaviour interpretations unrelated to mating display. We can then demonstrate whether or not the behaviour, and resultant trace fossils, are consistent with behaviours of other similar or related species, in this case extant birds.

..................


Martin G. Lockley, Richard T. McCrea, Lisa G. Buckley, Jong Deock Lim, Neffra A. Matthews, Brent H. Breithaupt, Karen J. Houck, Gerard D. Gierliński, Dawid Surmik, Kyung Soo Kim, Lida Xing, Dal Yong Kong, Ken Cart, Jason Martin and Glade Hadden. 2016. Theropod Courtship: Large Scale Physical Evidence of Display Arenas and Avian-like Scrape Ceremony Behaviour by Cretaceous Dinosaurs. Sci. Rep. 6, 18952;  DOI:  10.1038/srep18952


[PaleoOrnithology • 2015] Cratoavis cearensis • A New Genus and Species of Enantiornithine Bird from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil

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ABSTRACT

 The fossil record of birds in Gondwana is almost restricted to the Late Cretaceous. Herein we describe a new fossil from the Araripe Basin, Cratoavis cearensis nov. gen et sp., composed of an articulated skeleton with feathers attached to the wings and surrounding the body. The present discovery Considerably extends the record time of the enantiornithes birds at South America to the Early Cretaceous. For the first team, an almost complete and articulated skeleton of an Early Cretaceous bird from South America is documented.

Keywords: Cratoavis cearensis nov. gen et sp .; Araripe Basin; fossil bird


SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY
Aves Linnaeus 1758
Ornithothoraces Chiappe 1996

Enantiornithes Walker 1981
Cratoavis cearensis nov. gen. et sp. (Figs. 3 and 4)

Etymology: Cratoavis nov. gen., the generic name derives from the combination of the Crato Member lithostratigraphic unit, where the specimen was found, and the zoological group Aves. The specific epithet cearensis refers to the Ceará State, where the fossil was collected.

Locality and horizon: Pedra Branca Mine, Nova Olinda County, Ceará State, Brazil (7° 6´51.9´´ S and 39° 41´46.9´´ W). Araripe Basin, Santana Formation, Crato Member (Early Cretaceous, Aptian).
 This formation has yielded abundant and exceptionally preserved fossils of a large variety of plants and animals, representing one of the best well-known terrestrial ecosystems for the Early Cretaceous. Isolated feathers probably belonging to birds have been described from these beds, as well as succinct reports on avian skeletons associated with poorly preserved feathers.


 Cratoavis cearensis Mirischia asymmetrica  
Illustration: Deverson Pepi || commons.wikimedia.org

CONCLUSIONS
Cratoavis cearensis nov. gen. et sp. constitutes the first named bird from the Mesozoic of Brazil and the Early Cretaceous of South America. It constitutes an important addition to the meager record of South American Cretaceous birds, and constitutes one of the more complete Mesozoic bird specimen from Gondwana. It also expands the list in which skeletal elements have been found in association with feathers, including long tail rectrices. 


Ismar Carvalho, Fernando E. Novas, Federico L. Agnolin, Marcelo P. Isasi, Francisco I. Freitas and Jose A. Andrade. 2015. A New Genus and Species of Enantiornithine Bird from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Geology. 45(2): 161-171.  DOI:  10.1590/23174889201500020001
RESUMO: No Gondwana, o registro fóssil de aves está praticamente restrito ao Cretáceo Superior. Neste estudo é descrito um novo fóssil da Bacia do Araripe, Cratoavis cearensis nov. gen. et sp., composto por um esqueleto articulado com penas conectadas às asas e circundando o corpo. A presente descoberta amplia consideravelmente o intervalo temporal de registro das aves Enantiornithes na América do Sul ao Cretáceo Inferior. Pela primeira vez, um esqueleto articulado e quase completo de uma ave do Cretáceo Inferior da América do Sul é documentado.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Cratoavis cearensis nov. gen. et sp.; Bacia do Araripe; Ave fóssil.






  


Ismar de Souza Carvalho, Fernando E. Novas, Federico L. Agnolín, Marcelo P. Isasi, Francisco I. Freitas and José A. Andrade. 2015. A Mesozoic Bird from Gondwana preserving Feathers. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8141

Photos: Dinosaur-Era Bird Sported Ribbonlike Feathers

[PaleoOrnithology • 2015] Feitianius paradisi • A New Early Cretaceous Enantiornithine (Aves, Ornithothoraces) from northwestern China with Elaborate Tail Ornamentation

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Feitianius paradisi
O’Connor, Li, Lamanna, Wang, Harris, Atterholt & You, 2015

ABSTRACT
We provide a detailed description of a well-preserved enantiornithine specimen (GSGM-05-CM-004) from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) Xiagou Formation of northwestern Gansu Province, China, for which we erect the new taxon Feitianius paradisi, gen. et sp. nov. This specimen has a distinctive pelvic morphology and can be further distinguished from all other Mesozoic birds by a unique caudal plumage formed by multiple rectricial morphotypes. This newly documented tail morphology reveals a previously unrecognized level of complexity in the plumage of basal birds. This complex tail-feather morphology has a parallel in extant sexually dimorphic birds in which the males have the most altered tails; thus, we identify this specimen as male. Ornamental tail morphologies, such as the novel tail plumage described here, dominate Enantiornithes. This reinforces hypotheses that sexual selection was a major driving force in the evolution of basal bird plumage.


SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY

AVES Linnaeus, 1758
ORNITHOTHORACES Chiappe, 1995a

ENANTIORNITHES Walker, 1981
FEITIANIUS PARADISI, gen. et sp. nov.

Holotype — GSGM-05-CM-004, an incomplete but articulated specimen preserving the caudal half of the skeleton (mostly inleft lateral view) on a single slab, including carbonized vestigesof the caudal body coverts, rectrices, and keratinous pedalungual sheaths.

Etymology — Feitianius  paradisi, meaning Paradise’s feitian (飞天), referring to the hundreds of paintings of feitian, or ‘flying apsara,’ in the Mogao caves that are not far from the type locality. Like the new species, the feitian were beautiful flying creatures. ‘Paradisi’ (Latin, genitive ‘from paradise’) refers to the similarity in tail morphology between the new fossil and the highly sexually dimorphic plumages of extant birds of paradise. For fun, we decided to masculinize the genus name because the holotype specimen appears to be a male.

Locality  and  Horizon — Lower  Cretaceous  (lower–middle Aptian) (124–120 Ma; (Suarez et al., 2013) Xiagou Formation,near Changma Village, Yumen City, Gansu Province, northwestern China.

Taxonomic Remarks — The specimen can be referred to Enantiornithes based on its possession of the following characters: excavated thoracic vertebrae with centrally located parapophyses; distinctive, large pygostyle with craniodorsal fork, ventrolateral processes, and distal constriction; ischium with strap-like proximodorsal process; and reduced metatarsal IV. Specimen GSGM-05-CM-004 can be differentiated from Qiliania graffini Ji et al., 2011, another enantiornithine from the same formation, by several features. First, Feitianius paradisi bears a medial plantar crest on metatarsal II (absent in Q. graffini).Although the proportions of the pubis and ischium are similar between the two taxa, the dorsal (caudal) margin of the pubis and ventral (cranial) margin of the ischium are concave in F. paradisi, whereas both of these surfaces are relatively straight in Q. graffini. Furthermore, the proportions of the pedal digits are quite different: the combined length of digit III compared with that of metatarsal III is 1.05 in the new species compared with0.92 in Q. graffini; the same ratio for digit II is 0.77 in F. paradisi and 0.70 in Q. graffini. In addition, in F. paradisi, the hallucal claw is comparatively more recurved and the penultimate phalanx of digit III is subequal in length to the proximal phalanx (the proximal phalanx is longest in Q. graffini). The pubis of the indeterminate Xiagou Formation enantiornithine GSGM-04-CM-007 is rod-like, and its distal end is curved 90 to the proximal shaft (Lamanna et al., 2006), whereas in Feitianius the pubis is dorsoventrally compressed and ends in a pubic boot. Unfortunately, there are no overlapping skeletal elements to comparewith Dunhuangia lii Wang et al., 2015, a newly described enantiornithine from Changma (Wang et al., 2015). Compared with other enantiornithines, the pygostyle is proportionally shorterthan in species of the Longipterygidae, the tarsometatarsus is considerably more gracile than in all species within the Bohaiornithidae or Avisauridae, and the metatarsal and digit I are shorter than in species of the Pengornithidae. Feitianius paradisiis most similar to Jehol ‘cathayornithiforms’ such as species of Cathayornis, Eoenantiornis, Protopteryx, and Sinornisbut differs from these taxa in the detailed anatomy of the pelvic girdle.


Jingmai K. O’Connor, Da-Qing Li, Matthew C. Lamanna, Min Wang, Jerald D. Harris, Jessie Atterholt and Hai-Lu You. 2015. A New Early Cretaceous Enantiornithine (Aves, Ornithothoraces) from northwestern China with Elaborate Tail Ornamentation. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI:  10.1080/02724634.2015.1054035



 Feitianius, new enantiornithine from Early Cretaceous of China

[Paleontology • 2015] A Vanished History of Skeletonization in Cambrian Comb Jellies (Ctenophora)

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Fig. 3. Idealized three-dimensional models of Cambrian skeletonized ctenophores. (A to C) Side views of Gemmactena actinala gen. et sp. nov, Batofasciculus ramificans, andThaumactena ensis gen. et sp. nov., respectively. (A′ to C′) Oblique aboral views corresponding to (A) to (C).

Abstract

Ctenophores are traditionally regarded as “lower” metazoans, sharing with cnidarians a diploblastic grade of organization. Unlike cnidarians, where skeletonization (biomineralization and sclerotization) evolved repeatedly among ecologically important taxa (for example, scleractinians and octocorals), living ctenophores are characteristically soft-bodied animals. We report six sclerotized and armored ctenophores from the early Cambrian period. They have diagnostic ctenophore features (for example, an octamerous symmetry, oral-aboral axis, aboral sense organ, and octaradially arranged ctene rows). Unlike most modern counterparts, however, they lack tentacles, have a sclerotized framework, and have eight pairs of ctene rows. They are resolved as a monophyletic group (Scleroctenophora new class) within the ctenophores. This clade reveals a cryptic history and sheds new light on the early evolution of this basal animal phylum. Skeletonization also occurs in some other Cambrian animal groups whose extant members are exclusively soft-bodied, suggesting the ecological importance of skeletonization in the Cambrian explosion.

Keywords: Cambrian, Chengjiang biota, Ctenophora, skeleton

Fig. 4. Phylogenetic relationship of fossil and extant ctenophores based on a comprehensive cladistic analysis (tables S2 and S3).
The skeletonized ctenophores from the Chengjiang biota form a clade here described as the new class Scleroctenophora. The cladogram is a strict consensus of the three most parsimonious trees. Apomorphies (character number and state above and below nodes, respectively) are mapped on the cladogram. Tree length = 53; consistency index = 0.9231; retention index = 0.9394; rescaled consistency index = 0.8671. Illustrated taxa are marked in bold.

Qiang Ou, Shuhai Xiao, Jian Han, Ge Sun, Fang Zhang, Zhifei Zhang and Degan Shu. 2015. A Vanished History of Skeletonization in Cambrian Comb Jellies.  Science Advances. 1(6); e1500092. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1500092

[PaleoMammalogy • 2016] Ounalashkastylus tomidai • A New Desmostylian Mammal from Unalaska (USA) and the robust Sanjussen jaw from Hokkaido (Japan), with comments on feeding in derived desmostylids

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Ounalashkastylus tomidai  Chiba, Fiorillo, Jacobs, Kimura, Kobayashi,
 KohnoNishida, Polcyn & Tanaka, 2016

Just as cattle assemble in a herd, and a group of fish is a school, multiple desmostylians constitute a “troll” — a designation selected to honor Alaskan Ray Troll, the artist who has most often depicted desmos.
blog.SMU.edu Art by Ray Troll  DOI:  10.1080/08912963.2015.1046718

Abstract
Derived members of the enigmatic mammalian order Desmostylia have molars comprising appressed columns whose morphology does not render their function in feeding simple to discern. Here we describe a new genus and species, Ounalashkastylus tomidai, more derived than Cornwallius but less derived than Desmostylus and Vanderhoofius, which develop a hypertrophied medial eminence on the dentary ontogenetically. Tooth morphology, vaulted palate and the medial eminence, which can rise to the level of the occlusal surface of M2, suggest that derived desmostylids clenched their teeth strongly while employing suction during feeding, most likely on marine and coastal plants.

Keywords: marine mammal, phylogeny, paleoecology, North Pacific




Systematic paleontology

Mammalia
Desmostylia
Desmostylidae

Ounalashkastylus tomidai new genus and species

Type specimen. MOTA 2004.009.03 nearly complete left dentary with C1,P4root, M1, and M2.

Etymology. Genus after the Aleut word Ounalashka, meaning ‘near the peninsula’, and from which Unalaska is derived; plus –stylus, Latin ‘column’, in reference to desmostylians. Specific name in honour of Dr. Yukimitsu Tomida, distinguished vertebrate paleontologist.

 Diagnosis. Desmostylid differing from Ashoroa and more basal Desmostylia in having cylindrical, stylodont cuspsthat wear into rings of enamel surrounding exposed dentine;more derived than Cornwallius in having six or more cusps on lower molars; cheek teeth lower crowned (more primitive) than Desmostylus when compared at a similar minor stage of wear on homologous cusps and as shown by the curvature of the walls of the cylindrical cusps from the base of the crown toward the occlusal surface; less derived than Desmostylus and Vanderhoofius but similar to Cornwalliusin that erupted M3 does not lie in a trough developed by a medial eminence; M3 elongate compared to Desmostylus.

Type locality and age. Arriaga Quarry (now the site of a school), Unalaska, Unalaska Island, Alaska. Dutch Harbor Member, Unalaska Formation. The geological setting and age were discussed by Jacobs et al. (2007) who concluded that geological and biochronological limits (excluding the evolutionary stage of Ounalashkastylus) lay between 24.1 and 13 Ma, but that the locality most likely falls near the Oligocene-Miocene boundary (23.03 Ma), or slightly younger.


Kentaro Chiba, Anthony R. Fiorillo, Louis L. Jacobs, Yuri Kimura, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, Naoki Kohno, Yosuke Nishida, Michael J. Polcyn and Kohei Tanaka. 2016. A New Desmostylian Mammal from Unalaska (USA) and the robust Sanjussen jaw from Hokkaido (Japan), with comments on feeding in derived desmostylids.
Historical Biology. 28(1-2); 289–303.  DOI:  10.1080/08912963.2015.1046718

New fossils intensify mystery of short-lived, toothy mammals unique to ancient North Pacific
Oddball creature, Desmostylia, from waters where “Deadliest Catch” TV show is filmed, ate like a vacuum cleaner and is new genus and species of the only order of marine mammals ever to go extinct — surviving a mere 23 million years

Extinct Hippolike Creature Was Prehistoric Vacuum Cleaner https://shar.es/16ADEY via @LiveScience
The Archaeology News Network: New fossils of short-lived, toothy mammal found in ancient North Pacific http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2015/10/new-fossils-intensify-mystery-of-short.html

[Paleontology • 2016] Machimosaurus rex • The Largest Thalattosuchian (Crocodylomorpha) supports Teleosaurid Survival Across the Jurassic-Cretaceous Boundary

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Machimosaurus rex Fanti, Miyashita, Cantelli, Mnasri, Dridi, Contessi & Cau, 2016
Life reconstruction: Davide Bonadonna theropoda.blogspot.com
 DOI: 
10.1016/j.cretres.2015.11.011 

Fig. 8. Comparison among skulls of Machimosaurus.
 (A) holotype of M. buffetauti, (B) neotype of M. mosae, (C) estimated size of the ‘Leira specimen’ of M. hugii,
 (D) holotype of Machimosaurus rex. Dashed areas in (A) and (B) indicate size of largest known individuals of those species.
(E) Reconstruction of 
Machimosaurus rex body based on preserved elements.
Figures (A)–(C) modified from Young et al. (2014b).  DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.11.011  

Highlights
Machimosaurus rex is a new teleosaurid crocodylomorph from Tunisia.
• It is the largest known thalattosuchian, up to 10 m in length.
M. rex, the first Cretaceous teleosauroid found, was the last-surviving of its group.

Abstract
A new teleosaurid from the Lower Cretaceous of Tataouine (Tunisia), Machimosaurus rex sp. nov., definitively falsifies that these crocodylomorphs faced extinction at the end of the Jurassic. Phylogenetic analysis supports its placement closer to M. hugii and M. mosae than M. buffetauti. With the skull length up to 160 cm and an estimated body length of 10 m, M. rex results the largest known thalattosuchian, and the largest known crocodylomorph at its time. This giant thallatosuchian probably was an ambush predator in the lagoonal environments that characterized the Tethyan margin of Africa during the earliest Cretaceous. Whether the Jurassic-Cretaceous mass extinction was real or artefact is debated. The discovery of M. rex supports that the end-Jurassic crisis affected primarily Laurasian biota and its purported magnitude is most likely biased by the incomplete Gondwanan fossil record. The faunal turnovers during the J-K transition are likely interpreted as local extinction events, triggered by regional ecological factors, and survival of widely-distributed and eurytypic forms by means of habitat tracking.

Keywords: Lower Cretaceous; Machimosaurus; Teleosauridae; Thalattosuchia; Tunisia


Systematic paleontology

Crocodylomorpha Hay, 1930
Thalattosuchia Fraas, 1901

Teleosauridae Saint-Hilaire, 1831
Machimosaurus von Meyer, 1837

Machimosaurus rex sp. nov.
(ZooBank code: LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1A11E9B9-0B1C-4557-92B7-165168658C17)

Etymology. The species name rex, Latin for “king”, refers to its majestic size among known Machimosaurus and all thalattosuchians.

Holotype. ONM NG NG 1–25, 80, 81, and 83–87
( Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7D; Table 1).

Fig. 4. Machimosaurus rex type skull,
(Ain situ photograph showing dorsally exposed preserved bones, (B) prepared ventral surface.
Abbreviations: fr, frontal; lj, left jugal; la, lacrimal; ld, left dentary; lmx, left maxilla; lna, left nasal; lpd, left postdentary elements; lposq, left postorbitalsquamosal bar; os, osteoderm; pa, palatal element; rd, right dentary; rmx, right maxilla; rna, right nasal; rpd, right postdentary elements; rposq, right postorbital-squamosal bar; stfo, floor of supratemporal fossa; tp, turtle plastron element. Scale bar = 50 cm.

Locality and horizon. Touil el Mhahir, Tataouine Governorate, Tunisia; Douiret Sand Member, Douiret Formation, Hauterivian, Lower Cretaceous.

Fig. 1. (A) Geographic location and type locality of Machimosaurus rex. (B) Simplified geological map of the Tataouine basin of southern Tunisia showing the Touil el Mhahir locality.

Diagnosis. Teleosaurid differing from other species by unique combination of: adult basicranial length >155 cm ( Fig. 5); rostrum ornamented by densely arranged, parallel longitudinal ridges; orbit elliptical; interorbital space narrow (one fifth length of skull posterior to orbit); anteromedial margin of supratemporal fossae round; frontal not extended anteriorly to orbit and with reduced orbital margin; relatively large maxillary alveoli; anterior dorsal neural spine height less than centrum height; dorsal osteoderms with tightly packed pits that are round centrally and ellipsoid peripherally.


Fig. 8. Comparison among skulls of Machimosaurus
(
A) holotype of M. buffetauti, (B) neotype of M. mosae, (C) estimated size of the ‘Leira specimen’ of M. hugii(D) holotype of Machimosaurus rex. Dashed areas in (A) and (B) indicate size of largest known individuals of those species. (E) Reconstruction of Machimosaurus rex body based on preserved elements.
Figures (A)–(C) modified from Young et al. (2014b).  DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.11.011 


Machimosaurus rex Fanti, Miyashita, Cantelli, Mnasri, Dridi, Contessi & Cau, 2016
Artwork by Davide Bonadonna theropoda.blogspot.com
DOI: 
10.1016/j.cretres.2015.11.011

Conclusion: 
Machimosaurus rex sp. nov. is based on the articulated skeleton of a giant crocodylomorph from the Hauterivian of Tunisia. This taxon represents the first indisputable Cretaceous teleosauroid, and the first member of this clade from Africa based on well preserved remains. With a basicranial length approaching 160 cm (and a partial skeleton indicating a total body length around 10 m), M. rex is the largest known thalattosuchian. Both paleoecological data and morphological features suggest that this species was an ambush generalist predator with an ecology comparable to extant semi-aquatic crocodilians. The discovery of M. rex falsifies a global mass extinction event at the J-K transition (i.e., teleosauroid extinction), thereby highlighting the problem of sampling bias in the reconstruction of large-scale patterns in the geological record. The new Tunisian teleosaurid points to a conservative interpretation of faunal turnovers during the J-K transition: local extinction events triggered by regional ecological factors and survival of widely-distributed and eurytypic forms by means of habitat tracking.


Federico Fanti, Tetsuto Miyashita, Luigi Cantelli, Fawsi Mnasri, Jihed Dridi, Michela Contessi and Andrea Cau. 2016. The Largest Thalattosuchian (Crocodylomorpha) supports Teleosaurid Survival Across the Jurassic-Cretaceous Boundary. Cretaceous Research. In Press. DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.11.011 

[Herpetology • 2015] Kinyongia msuyae • A New Species of Chameleon (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae) Highlights the Biological Affinities Between the Southern Highlands and Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania

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 Kinyongia msuyae 
 Menegon, Loader, Davenport, Howell, Tilbury, Machaga & Tolley, 2015


Abstract

A new species of chameleon is described from the Livingstone and Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. The new species is morphologically most similar to Kinyongia vanheygeni. Furthermore, a single, short rostral appendage shows the species similarity to other Eastern Arc endemic Kinyongia species (e.g. K. uthmoelleri, K. oxyrhina, K. magomberae and K. tenuis). Females of all these species lack any rostral ornamentation and are all very similar morphologically. Males of the new species, on which the morphological diagnosis is based, can be distinguished from other Kinyongia by a shorter rostral appendage that bifurcates at the tip. They are easily distinguished from K. vanheygeni, otherwise the most similar species, by differences in head scalation and the length and shape of the rostral appendage. The new species is associated with montane rainforest and is known from only four forest fragments of which two are in the Udzungwa and two in the Livingstone Mountains. Phylogenetically, the new species is sister to K. tenuis and K. magomberae, which together, form a clade that also contains K. oxyrhina. The disjunct distribution of the new species, in the Livingstone and Udzungwa mountains, stretches across the ‘Makambako Gap’ which is a putative biogeographical barrier separating the distinct faunas of the Southern highlands and Eastern Arc Mountains. Evidence from this species however, points to potentially closer biological affinities between the Livingstone and Udzungwa mountains.

Keywords: Southern Highlands, Tanzania, Eastern Afromontane, Biodiversity, Chamaeleonidae, East Africa, new species, reptiles.


Fig. 1. Kinyongia msuyae sp. nov. from Livingstone Mountains in life.
Pictures showing (upper) adult Male, (lower left) close up of male head, (lower right) Adult female.

  Etymology: The species is named after and dedicated to Charles A. Msuya, a pioneer of Tanzanian herpetology, who collected the first known specimen attributable to this species and has spent most of his life studying Tanzanian wildlife.


Michele Menegon, Simon P. Loader, Tim R.B. Davenport, Kim M. Howell, Colin R. Tilbury, Sophy
Machaga and Krystal A. Tolley. 2015. A New Species of Chameleon (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae: Kinyongia) Highlights the Biological Affinities Between the Southern Highlands and Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. Acta Herpetologica. 10(2): 111-120. DOI: 10.13128/Acta_Herpetol-17171

[Herpetology • 2015] Tylototriton himalayanus • A New Species of the Genus Tylototriton (Urodela: Salamandridae) from Eastern Himalaya

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Tylototriton himalayanus 
Khatiwada, Wang, Ghimire, Vasudevan, Paudel & Jiang, 2015
Figure 5: Habitat at the type locality of Tylototriton himalayanus sp. nov. in Mai Pokhari, Illam district, Mechi, Nepal (elevation of 2110 m).

Abstract
 A new species of the genus Tylototriton is described from eastern Himalaya based on molecular and morphological comparisons. The new species is diagnosable from the closely-related species by having light brown colouration in dorsal region in life, flat and blunt snout, greatly separated dorsolateral bony ridges on head and straightthick tailfin. In addition to head morphology, the new species is also morphologically distinguishable from its closely related species Tylototriton shanorum by having 16 dorsal warts and average smaller Snout Vent Length (SVL). 

Keywords: Tylototriton himalayanus sp. nov., eastern Himalaya, morphology, molecular phylogeny, taxonomy


Figure 5: Habitat at the type locality of Tylototriton himalayanus sp. nov. in Mai Pokhari, Illam district, Mechi, Nepal (27°0'25" N 87°55'48" E at an elevation of 2110 m).

Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the current distribution range of the species in the eastern Himalaya.

Distribution and natural history: Most specimens were collected from permanent and temporary ponds in the Illam District of Nepal (Figure 5). The habitats are characterized as the subtropical hill forest and area is dominated by scattered vegetation, for example, Schima wallichii, Castonopsis indica, Casttonopsis tribuloides, Albizzi sp., Sauraria nepalensis, Rubus ellipticus and Eupatorium adenophorum. Anders et al. (1998) reported the distribution of the new species in five places in the Illam District of Nepal with elevation ranging from 1 100 m to 2 120 m. They also checked the previous record by Shrestha (1988) in Dhankuta District but did not find the species. The distribution of new species is currently known only from the Illam District of Nepal and in Darjeeling District of India (details provided in Nag and Vasudevan 2014). The salamanders are more terrestrial in non-breeding seasons (from October to February) and found hiding under the logs, bushes and stones and come to the breeding ponds in early March or April soon after heavy monsoonal showers (also see Schleich and Kästle, 2002) .

Janak Raj Khatiwada, Bin Wang, Subarna Ghimire, Karthikeyan Vasudevan, Shanta Paudel and Jianping Jiang. 2015. A New Species of the Genus Tylototriton (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae) from Eastern Himalaya. Asian Herpetological Research.6(4); 245-256.



[Herpetology • 2015] Trachylepis adamastor • Lost in the Middle of the Sea, Found in the Back of the Shelf: A New Giant Species of Trachylepis (Squamata: Scincidae) from Tinhosa Grande Islet, Gulf of Guinea

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Trachylepis adamastor Ceríaco, 2015
Lagartixa-adamastor | Adamastor Skink

Abstract

A new species of Trachylepis is described from Tinhosa Grande islet, São Tomé e Príncipe, Gulf of Guinea. Tinhosa Grande islet is a small (20.5 ha), isolated desert islet used by several bird communities as a nesting place. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by its color pattern, size and lepidosis. Due to its limited geographical distribution the new species appears to be one of the most vulnerable vertebrate species on the planet. In this study we provide a brief discussion on the natural history of the new species, as well as conservation concerns and suggestions.

Keywords: Conservation, São Tomé e Príncipe, taxonomy, Tinhosas, Trachylepis adamastor

FIGURE 3. Live photo of Trachylepis adamastor sp. nov. (specimen not collected), from Tinhosa Grande.
Photo by Ross Wanless.


The islanders of Tinhosa Great and Small Tinhosa
photographed by plane LUÍS CERÍACO

Distribution. As far as presently known, the species distribution is restricted to Tinhosa Grande Islet, Republic of São Tomé e Príncipe, West Africa.

Habitat and natural history notes. The habitat used by the species is the rocks and rock outcrops of the islet. The trophic ecology of the species is currently unknown. The habitat is almost deprived of any type of vegetation and very few invertebrates occur in the islet, although live specimens were observed eating the yolk of recently broken bird eggs (Nuno Barros & Simon Valle pers. comm.; Fig. 4). The population appears stable and reaching high densities (Nuno Barros & Simon Valle pers. comm.). The ecological relations between the newly-described species and the nesting birds is unknown, but trophic relationships can be suspected, namely the predation of arthropods associated with bird nests, as the case of other reptiles from small oceanic islands and atolls (Ineich et al. 2009). The species appear to share the islet with another reptile, a still unidentified Hemidactylus sp. (Nuno Barros, António Monteiro pers. comm.).

Etymology. The specific epithet 'adamastor' refers to the mythical giant inhabiting a rock "in the end of the sea" present in the Luis de Camões famous odyssey 'Os Lusíadas', and is applied here as a substantive in apposition. We propose the Portuguese common name Lagartixa-adamastor and the English common name of Adamastor Skink.


Ceríaco, Luis M. P. 2015. Lost in the Middle of the Sea, Found in the Back of the Shelf: A New Giant Species of Trachylepis (Squamata: Scincidae) from Tinhosa Grande Islet, Gulf of Guinea. Zootaxa.  3973(3): 511–527. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3973.3.6


FIGURE 4. Trachylepis adamastor sp. nov. feeding on a recently broken egg (specimen not collected).
Photo by Ross Wanless.

On a rocky deserted islet off the coast of São Tomé e Príncipe, Gulf of Guinea, lives a lizard new to Science. A Portuguese scientist has just described this new species in a paper publish in Zootaxa science magazine. It’s the Adamastor Skink.

Num rochedo perto da ilha do Príncipe habita a inigualável lagartixa-adamastor http://www.publico.pt/n1702382

[Herpetology • 2015] Ophryacus smaragdinus • A New Species of Ophryacus (Viperidae: Crotalinae) from eastern Mexico, with comments on the Taxonomy of related Pitvipers

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Emerald Horned Pitviper | Ophryacus smaragdinus 
Grünwald, Jones, Franz-Chávez & Ahumada-Carrillo, 2015

Endemic to Mexico, snakes of the genera Ophryacus and Mixcoatlus are some of the most unusual pitvipers in the country. The taxonomy and natural history of members of these genera has not been studied extensively, perhaps because individuals are difficult to encounter in the field and thus rarely are deposited in museum collections. A specimen collected in 2010 in western Veracruz did not match any of the known species in these genera, resulting in a two-year study. Pictured here is a new species of Ophryacus from Zilacatipan, Municipio de Huayacocotla, Veracruz, Mexico.
photo: Iván Ahumada-Carrillo

Abstract
The genus Ophryacus is endemic to Mexico, where it ranges along the Sierra Madre Oriental from Hidalgo and northern Veracuz south to the Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero and Oaxaca. We obtained new material of Ophryacus and compared it to specimens from all previously documented populations of O. undulatus. We examined scutellational characters and proportional differences, and found strong evidence to support the existence of at least three species within this genus. One species is undescribed and another currently is in the synonymy of O. undulatus. We describe a new species of Ophryacus from eastern Mexico, and remove Bothrops sphenophrys from the synonymy of O. undulatus and formally place it in Ophryacus. We provide comparative morphological data and a key for the known species of Ophryacus and Mixcoatlus. We also discuss the ecological and geographical distribution of Ophryacus and Mixcoatlus and include a distribution map for all the species with supraocular horns. Finally, we comment on the conservation implications for the horned pitvipers of Mexico.

Key Words: Biogeography, conservation implications, external morphology, Hidalgo, Mixcoatlus, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sierra Madre del Sur, Sierra Madre Oriental, taxonomy, Veracruz


Fig. 14. An adult Ophryacus sphenophrys collected near the type locality of La Soledad, Municipio de Candelaria Loxicha, Oaxaca. This paper was “in press” at the time of capture (16 December 2015), so coloration and meristic data for this individual does not appear in the text.
photo: Christoph I. Grünwald



Distribution and Natural History:Ophryacus smaragdinus apparently is restricted to montane cloud forest, humid pine-oak woodland, and pine forest (Fig. 12A), but also has been found in disturbed areas with secondary vegetation. Although this species appears to be less arboreal than what has been reported for O. undulatus in Guerrero and Oaxaca (Campbell and Lamar, 2004: 452), it has been collected at a height of up to 1 m in low bushes (Flores-Villela et al., 1992). Other individuals have been found under fallen logs, in woodpiles, and on the ground in vegetation. Whereas most individuals have been encountered during the day, one individual from Veracruz (UAZ- 57622-PSV) was found crossing a road at 2258 h during foggy weather.

Ophryacus smaragdinus has been collected in east-central Hidalgo, west-central Veracruz, northeastern Puebla, and north-central Oaxaca, where it ranges along the humid eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental from at least as far north as Zilacatipan, in the municipality of Huayacocotla, Veracruz, south to at least San Martín Caballero, in the municipality of San José Tenango, Oaxaca. Its elevational distribution ranges from about 1,400 m in Oaxaca to at least 2,340 m in Hidalgo and Veracruz (see Fig. 11).

Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word smaragdinus, an adjective meaning “emerald-green,” in reference to the emerald green ground coloration exhibited by most individuals of this species.


Christoph I. Grünwald, Jason M. Jones, Hector Franz-Chávez and Iván T. Ahumada-Carrillo. 2015. A New Species of Ophryacus (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from eastern Mexico, with comments on the Taxonomy of related Pitvipers. Mesoamerican Herpetology. 2(4); 388–416.

New species of venomous snake discovered in endangered Mexican cloud forests http://news.mongabay.com/2016/01/new-species-of-pitvipers-discovered-in-endangered-mexican-cloud-forests/


Resumen: El género Ophryacus es endémico a México con una distribución que abarca desde la Sierra Madre Oriental en Hidalgo y el norte de Veracruz hasta la Sierra Madre del Sur en Guerrero y Oaxaca. Se obtuvó nuevo material de Ophryacus y se comparó con espécimenes de todas las poblaciones previamente documentadas. Examinamos caracteres de escamación y diferencias proporcionales, y encontramos evidencia singificativa que confirman la existencia de al menos tres especies en este género. Una especie no está descrita y la otra actualmente esta sinonimizada con O. undulatus. Describimos una especie nueva de Ophryacus del este de México y removemos Bothrops sphenophrys de la sinonimia de O. undulatus y la colocamos formalmente en Ophryacus. Proporcionamos datos morfológicos comparativos y la claves para las especies conocidas de Ophryacus y Mixcoatlus. También discutimos la distribución geográfica y ecológica de Ophryacus y Mixcoatlus e incluimos un mapa de distribución para todas las especies con cuernos supraoculares. Finalmente comentamos sobre las implicaciones de conservación para todas las víboras de foseta cornudas de México.

Palabras Claves: Biogeografía, Hidalgo, implicaciones de conservación, Mixcoatlus, morfología externa, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sierra Madre del Sur, Sierra Madre Oriental, taxonomía, Veracruz




[Ichthyology • 2016] Pachycara caribbaeum • A New Species of Pachycara Zugmayer, 1911 (Teleostei: Zoarcidae) from Deep-sea Chemosynthetic Environments in the Caribbean Sea

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Pachycara caribbaeum
 Anderson, Somerville & Copley, 2016

Abstract

The 28th species of the eelpout genus Pachycara Zugmayer, 1911, is described from specimens collected from an active hydrothermal vent field at a depth of about 2300 m at the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre of the Caribbean Sea. A tentatively identified early juvenile is recorded at a methane seep at a depth of 1049 m near Tobago. The new species is distinguished from its congeners mainly by its few pectoral fin rays, low vertebral counts, single, mediolateral branch of the lateral line system and presence of scales on the nape and cheeks.

Keywords: Pisces, Zoarcidae, Pachycara, eelpout, Caribbean Sea, Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre, hydrothermal vents, methane seep



Anderson, M. Eric, Russell Somerville & Jonathan T. Copley. 2016. A New Species of Pachycara Zugmayer, 1911 (Teleostei: Zoarcidae) from Deep-sea Chemosynthetic Environments in the Caribbean Sea. Zootaxa. 4066(1): 71–77.  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4066.1.5

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